it covers really big programs such as the bioscience research lab which won award. undergraduates conduct research on aids, cancer and more. >> we believe that we'll have the capacity to solve some of the world's critical problems right here on our compass. >> tisdale believes the world needs visionary leaders which is what he encourages students to be. shares how his own life was a reflection of that. as a charles growing up in rural south carolina, working in the cotton field of the family farm. picking cotton sun up to sun down. >> even in the cotton fields, they would say, you can be the best. it helped me. when i came on to college, working hard, in mathematics, it was not a problem. going on to graduate school and having to work seven days a week, all night, all day, it all began on the farms. >> tisdale's ethic of hard work and faith fueled his passion for learning. the fruits of his labor enabled him to reap a harvest of many firsts. first of his family to leave the cotton fields and earn an agree in math a master degree in temple. the first african-american